Chelsea firefighters leading effort to Paint Chelsea Pink on Sept. 29

(Publisher’s note: the date of the hockey game has been changed to Sept. 8. This change has been corrected and noted in the story.)

Get ready, Chelsea, to paint the town pink on Sept. 29.

Firefighter Scott Basar and Chris Pearson, executive director of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Mid-Michigan, high five during a planning meeting for the Sept. 29 event Paint Chelsea Pink

Your Chelsea firefighters are organizing a new city-wide, charity event called “Paint Chelsea Pink,” a breast cancer benefit in conjunction with Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation of Mid-Michigan, which promises to be “a fun, social event for a wonderful cause,” says Firefighter Scott Basar, chairman of the event.

And, Chelsea’s business community is leading the charge.

“The event, scheduled for Sept. 29, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. is a way for the firefighters to give back to the community, support the city’s merchants and raise funds for a good cause,” he says.

The firefighters wanted to do something different to give back to the community, not a walk or a run, but something that would be fun, benefit the town, get lots of people involved and make a difference in other people’s lives.

All the details are being worked out through a series of committees made up of local business owners and spearheaded by the Chelsea Area Chamber of Commerce, which have signed on and embraced the event.

So, here’s an overview of what’s planned so far.

Before the charity event, there will be a special hockey game “Guns vs. Hoses,” (police officers versus firefighters, if you will), on Sept. 1 Sept. 8 from 5-8 p.m. at Chelsea’s Arctic Coliseum. All proceeds from the special game will help defray costs of putting on Paint Chelsea Pink, Basar says.

On Sept. 29, there will be pink. Lots and lots of pink. T-shirts, balloons, banners, ribbon, you name it, throughout Chelsea.

Why pink? It’s the official color of breast cancer awareness and these pink events are held throughout the country to raise awareness of the importance of early screening for breast cancer.

Chelsea Area Fire Authority patch

And, there will be lots of breast cancer information available that day for anyone who is interested.

There will be shopping and eating, laughter and music, and stuff for kids to do, too.

“We want this event to be for everyone; an event in our community that everyone knows about, and that brings lots of people into Chelsea for the day,” Basar said.

Local merchants have “overwhelmingly supported our efforts for this wonderful cause,” says Fire Capt. Derek Klink, co-chairman of the event. “We can’t thank them enough, and we are so excited to make this happen.”

Plus, “The Pink Party” will take place after the event at Chelsea Lanes for those 21 years and older, which will feature live music and cocktails. But more on that closer to the event.

People are encouraged to wear pink, of course, and “All the proceeds will go to the cause,” Basar says.

“We want this to be a positive for everyone involved and we want as many people in the community as possible to get involved,” Klink added, so, stay tuned for more details as they are finalized.